Without a word, Google shelves default encryption on new Lollipop devices

The week in security: Superfish a super problem, ransomware too

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Geofencing technology -- tracking the location of a mobile device -- could offer an extra layer of security for enterprises trying to manage both company-owned and employee-owned devices. However, the technology can also raise worries about privacy and battery life.

President Barack Obama isn't happy with new rules from China that would require U.S. tech companies to abide by strict cybersecurity measures, but on Tuesday the country was quick to defend the proposed regulations.

Google has quietly stopped requiring that Android OEMs enable full-disk encryption by default in new Android 5.0 Lollipop devices, backtracking on its widely publicised plan to make life harder for snoops and police.

Three days after Chinese computer maker Lenovo promised to flush "crapware" from its consumer PCs, Connecticut's state attorney general announced a probe into the company's practice of bundling adware.

For all the emphasis on tools and gizmos, IT is still very much about the people who develop and use said tools and gizmos. Collaboration, mutual respect, passion for the work -- all this and more are essential to a beneficial outcome, whether your IT group is shipping code, swatting bugs, working with business users, or securing company systems.

If you want to see a reporter's eyes roll, open your product pitch by saying your new widget is a "[insert name of longtime category leader here] killer." So my eyes rolled hard when Panasonic's PR representative told me the company would announce a "Dropcam killer" at Mobile World Congress this year.

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